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It was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. (...) I love the album so much. I've just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life—I figure no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album. (...) I've often played Pet Sounds and cried. It's that kind of an album for me.

— Paul McCartney, interviewed by David Leaf, 1990. For more about Paul's love for this album, go here.

Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by The Beach Boys, released in 1966. Most of it was recorded by Brian Wilson with the group of Los Angeles session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. Initially, the album had modest sales, but was an enormous critical success, scoring hits with classics such as "Wouldn't It Be Nice?", "Caroline, No", "Sloop John B." and "God Only Knows". It is widely seen as one of the best albums ever recorded. Paul McCartney calls "Pet Sounds" his favourite record of all time and one of the main inspirations for The BeatlesSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from 1967, along with Frank Zappa's Freak Out from 1966. McCartney also considers "God Only Knows" "one of the most beautiful songs ever written."

The song "I Know There's an Answer" was originally written as "Hang On to Your Ego", a song about LSD use. As singing about getting high wouldn't be popular until later in The '60s, Brian Wilson elected to change the lyrics after Mike Love objected to them. Interestingly, in Australia the album was released as The Fabulous Beach Boys with an alternate cover.

Trope Today:

Age Progression Song: "Wouldn't It Be Nice?", where the protagonist wonders about the time in the future when he and his partner could live together, get married and be happy. In "Caroline, No" the protagonist wonders "where the girl he used to know" has gone, mentioning the fact her "long hair" has gone too.

Album Filler: "Sloop John B." is at times considered this, as it's a cover of an older folk song about a sloop and its drunken crew sinking into doom, and that doesn't really fit in with the theme of the trials of young love that every other non-instrumental has. But it often given a pass for being a pretty sweet melody... and it was the highest charting single from the album, kinda important.

It does serve a more fitting purpose upon further examination however. It ends the mostly happy-go-luckiness of the first side with a song about a shipwreck. The next side starts with a song about a poor soul finding life meaningless without his love, possibly almost to the point of suicide.

The two instrumental tracks are often overlooked, due to their lack of the trademark Beach Boys harmonies and their arrangements sounding somewhat dated to some ears.

Animal Motifs: Besides the title, The Beach Boys feed some farm animals in a petting zoo on the album cover.

Anti-Love Song: "Here Today", which is about all the nasty stuff that relationships can bring about, and how fine little lovers should be careful and whatnot.

Right now you think that she's perfection This time is really an exception You know I hate to be a downer, But I'm the guy she left before you found her Well, I'm not saying you won't have it good with her But I keep on remembering things like they were

"God Only Knows" should also deserve a mention, for the strangest line ever to open a truly beautiful romantic song: "I may not always love you...". But it is immediately subverted afterwards:

I may not always love you

But long as there are stars above you

You never need to doubt it

I'll make you so sure about it

Baroque Pop: A Trope Maker, no one had made post-rock and roll pop sound quite like this. Many did afterwards. This is a good thing.

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